3 Advantages of a Portfolio

Wednesday, 05 November 2014

A portfolio is a collection of a person's work product that demonstrates his or her expertise and accomplishments in a particular field or area. Portfolios can include projects, written essays, visual art projects, photography or creations made electronically. Or for self reflection - assessments from teachers or other people, awards for various projects, references, certificates acknowledging achievement or any other information that displays accomplishments.

The following points apply mostly to a job interview.

Pictures. It’s simple but true: Instagram and Pinterest would not be popular social channels if it weren’t for imagery. You can draw people in by showing interesting visual representation of your previous work experience and volunteer activities.

Stories. Once you've drawn someone in with a picture, use a paragraph to tell a story about what you did at a company or in a volunteer position. Make sure you focus on how you benefited the company and made a difference. Use this story to answer the questions, "How did I help this company/organization meet its mission?" and "What did I do differently or better than others have done?" Keep it to just a few sentences, but keep it interesting. Remember, you've always got your résumé to fall back on for bullet-point details.

Show off your strengths. When you put together a portfolio, you're guiding a hiring manager through the story you want to tell. Instead of having to give all of your job duties equal weight, you can feature the elements of your background that make you most interesting and most useful to the company with which you are interviewing. The interviewer is in the position to decide whether you get the job, but it's up to you to guide the discussion toward the things about you that make you the best candidate.